Thanks to the many who gave blood and scheduled upcoming appointments, the American Red Cross has been able to meet immediate patient needs. During this uncertain time, we encourage individuals to keep scheduled blood donation appointments and to make new blood donation appointments for the weeks ahead to ensure a stable supply throughout this pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccine for VA eligible beneficiaries:

• The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a registration site for eligible beneficiaries who want to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine.  For more information and how to register for this important benefit, please visit: https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/stay-informed
• Red Cross information for service members, veterans and their families can be accessed here https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/military-families.html or via our Hero Care App (link for all Red Cross apps: http://3cu.be/sharehc.)
• For those who do not qualify for Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare, please visit the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program page at: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-program
• General information about COVID-19 vaccines can be found via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/

Important Requests

If able, give convalescent plasma: COVID-19 convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and contains antibodies that might help patients actively fighting the virus. With each donation, COVID-19 survivors have a unique ability to help up to three patients recover from the virus. As coronavirus cases increase, hospital demand for this potentially lifesaving treatment has more than doubled. Learn more and sign up to give at RedCrossBlood.org/Plasma4COVID.

There remains an ongoing need for platelet donations due to their short, five-day shelf life.

In times of crisis, the Red Cross is fortunate to witness the best of humanity as people roll up a sleeve to help those in need. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public.

1. Give Blood. There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus and the Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come. It’s important to remember that blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control. To ensure the health of employees, volunteers and staff, precautions include:

• Checking temperatures of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.
• Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process.
• Following social distancing between donors including entry, donation and refreshment areas.
• Routinely disinfecting surfaces, equipment and donor-touched areas.
• Wearing gloves, and changing gloves often.
• Using sterile collection sets and an aseptic scrub for every donation.
• Staff wearing basic face masks.

Learn more about donation safety protocols

Find a blood drive near you

2. Volunteer. Disasters do not adhere to social distancing measures and the Red Cross mission to help individuals suffering from a disaster, such as a home fire, must continue to be carried out.

The Red Cross of Northern Ohio continues to need volunteers to assist with responding to home fires, floods and other local disasters and provide comfort and support to residents in need.

We also need volunteers to assist at blood drives and to transport lifesaving blood from blood drives and Red Cross distribution facilities to hospitals.

Learn more about opportunities near you and apply

Trusted Sources

For additional information and to prevent the spread of misinformation, the following organizations are trusted sources for updated information regarding COVID-19:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

World Health Organization

Ready.gov

Ohio Department of Health